A few photos of my sphene pendant...

[bling addict]

Such a beautiful pendant Pandora!!

Looks like a real fireball!

 

[Pandora II]

Date: 9/20/2008 8:34:25 PM
Author: Gailey
Pandora,

I believe you live in the UK. Did you choose Wink Jones to set your sphene because there was no-one you considered competant enough on your side of the pond?

A little off topic, but when we moved to Canada from the UK and started going to a Canadian dentist, he was apalled at the quality of workmanship of our UK dentist, commonplace apparently. Is it the same with people who make jewellery? Graff & Asprey aside of course.

The UK jeweller I worked for in the last century had a fully operational bench and clock & watch maker. He churned out some very nice, very, very expensive pieces. Granted I never saw a sphene!

Hi Gailey,

I''m in London, so there are plenty of very competent bench people here. I asked Wink to set it because he contacted Richard to source the stones for me - so I didn''t need to worry about taking out insurance on the stone during setting (this was an expensive stone so I would have been VERY worried about it being set uninsured and I can''t get loose stone insurance here).

Also the dollar/sterling exchange rate has been advantageous - not sure about now...

British Dentistry is horrific - I had mine redone in Italy and the guy took before and after photos for a dental magazine. I''m unlucky in that I have inherited my father and grandmother''s teeth - I still have 2 baby teeth, I have some adult teeth that never existed (where the baby teeth still are there are no adult teeth either), no wisdom teeth and having lived through a cholera epidemic and taken loads of tetracycline at the age of 6 they turned a funny colour too. My British dentist made the situation even worse, but my Italian dentist managed to put a heck of a lot right thank goodness.

How come Americans all have such amazing teeth?

 

[Pandora II]

Date: 9/20/2008 10:58:14 PM
Author: tourmaline_lover
I love sphene, it''s such an underrated gemstone, but so lively. It was also wise that you had it set in a pendant so it doesn''t scratch easily.

Beautiful stone and pendant, enjoy it for many years to come!

Thanks - I have a matching pair of stud earrings as well.

To be honest I''ve only worn them three times. I''m worried about breaking it rather than scratching it! I would NEVER set one of these in a ring.

 

[geckodani]

Date: 9/21/2008 6:52:47 AM
Author: Pandora II

Hi Gailey,

I'm in London, so there are plenty of very competent bench people here. I asked Wink to set it because he contacted Richard to source the stones for me - so I didn't need to worry about taking out insurance on the stone during setting (this was an expensive stone so I would have been VERY worried about it being set uninsured and I can't get loose stone insurance here).

Also the dollar/sterling exchange rate has been advantageous - not sure about now...

British Dentistry is horrific - I had mine redone in Italy and the guy took before and after photos for a dental magazine. I'm unlucky in that I have inherited my father and grandmother's teeth - I still have 2 baby teeth, I have some adult teeth that never existed (where the baby teeth still are there are no adult teeth either), no wisdom teeth and having lived through a cholera epidemic and taken loads of tetracycline at the age of 6 they turned a funny colour too. My British dentist made the situation even worse, but my Italian dentist managed to put a heck of a lot right thank goodness.

How come Americans all have such amazing teeth?

Threadjack!

Not everyone does.

But many do, based mostly on the crazy materialism and superficial nature of our crazy culture.

It all depends on what your health care was like as a kid. If you were lucky, then you got braces shoved on your teeth in Junior High. If your parents didn't have good coverage... well... not so much. We're all supposed to go in for cleanings and whatnot twice a year too, which helps. I honestly think that it's motivated more by vanity than anything else.

And then if you're like me and get a horrid dentist that traumatizes you as a kid.... yeah... my husband had to literally go and get Valium for me just to get me in the door. Takes valium to get me in there, and laughing gas to keep me in the chair if they have to do anything. I ended up with like 9 cavities and all sorts of insanity. Fun fun. I have baby teeth too, just like you, LOL.

 

[Gailey]

Americans and Canadians have great teeth, compared to the English. My Canadian dentist likened British dentistry to butchery! I think you have to look at how dentistry is paid for in the UK vs this side of the pond. Over here there is no under funded National Health Service, everything is privately paid for, mostly through insurance coverage. I don''t know about now, but that was un-heard of in the UK up until 10 years ago. I will be 47 at the end of this month and until I moved to Canada all the work I had done was on the NHS, so I had a mouth full of metal fillings and despite having a brace as a teenager, my teeth were not straight. First thing my dentist here did was replace all my fillings. And the list goes on .....

A bit off topic, but the I wish I had the same budget for jewellery as I''ve had to have spent on dentistry!

Ooh Pandora - London! My son lives there along with all my in-laws. A week today I''ll be there. I hope the weather holds.

OK, no more off topic, don''t want to get banned!

BTW, can we get some ear shots as well as neck shots when your hubby gets back - pleeeeze?